Bill Cunningham (talk show host)

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Bill Cunningham (talk show host) : biography

December 11, 1947 –

William Daniel "Bill" Cunningham (born December 11, 1947) is an American radio and television talk show host, conservative commentator, attorney, and entrepreneur.

On the radio, he hosts The Big Show with Bill Cunningham, a local show on WLW in Cincinnati, and Live on Sunday Night, it’s Bill Cunningham, a program syndicated nationally by Premiere Radio Networks.

On television he hosts a self-titled talk show that is seen nationally on The CW. He is also a commentator/contributor for Fox News Channel.

Cunningham won the National Association of Broadcasters Marconi Award for Large-Market Personality of the Year in 2001.

Career

Law

Cunningham was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1975 after graduating from the University of Toledo College of Law. He then served in the office of the Ohio Attorney General as Assistant Attorney General from 1978 to 1986 under Attorneys General William J. Brown and Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr. Currently, Cunningham works in the law firm of Steven R. Adams, which specializes in criminal defense and DUI cases.

Radio

Cunningham’s first regular show on the station was at night, generally from 9:00 p.m. until midnight. His show was not heard during the summer months, when WLW broadcasts Cincinnati Reds baseball games. In the late 1990s, Cunningham’s show was moved to early afternoons, which put his show directly opposite that of one of his favorite radio presenters, Rush Limbaugh, whose show is heard on sister station WKRC.

In December 2003, Cunningham created a parody song mocking Nathaniel Jones, a man killed by Cincinnati police, with lyrics including: "The fat man ever after has a martyr’s place/ Let’s all ignore whatever drugs he had…His death was unrelated to his injuries but still we hear the people sing police brutality/ lies go on bro la la how the lies go on."

On February 26, 2008, Cunningham created controversy in his warm-up speech introducing Republican presidential candidate John McCain at a Cincinnati rally because Cunningham twice referred to Democratic candidate Barack Obama with Obama’s full name, Barack Hussein Obama and called Obama a "hack Chicago-style Daley politician’’. McCain immediately repudiated Cunningham after being told about Cunningham’s remarks. In response, Cunningham said in an interview with CNN following the rally: "John McCain threw me under a bus…I’ve had it up to here with John McCain. I’m joining Ann Coulter in supporting Hillary Rodham Clinton." Cunningham would continue to be a sharp critic of Obama; on his October 28, 2008 WLW show, Cunningham discussed the life of Obama’s father Barack Obama, Sr. and then remarked, "…his father was a typical black father who, right after the birth, left the baby. That’s what black fathers do. They simply leave." This remark has been cited asn an example of hyperbolic, extreme rhetoric on talk radio.Bobbitt, Randy. . Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. p. 141. Another Cunningham statement that has been criticized was his claim on the January 4, 2009 WLW show that poor people " lack values, ethics and morals."

Cunningham’s WLW show went on a brief hiatus in June 2010 due to a contract dispute.

Television

The Bill Cunningham Show, a first-run syndicated television talk show hosted by Cunningham debuted on September 19, 2011. Cunningham serves as the show’s co-producer. It is produced and distributed by Tribune Broadcasting and at first aired only on Tribune-owned stations, stations owned by Local TV, LLC and Raycom Media-owned WXIX-TV in Cunningham’s hometown of Cincinnati, from Cincinnati Enquirer (August 31, 2011) prior to making a nationwide launch. It moved to The CW beginning September 10, 2012, where it is now seen nationally.

The series uses a tabloid-style format with a conservative approach. from RBR/TVBR (July 28, 2010) The program is produced in New York City, with co-production from ITV Studios America. from Variety (May 16, 2011) Cunningham does his radio show from New York City on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays because he tapes his TV show on those days.

Personal life

Born in Covington, Kentucky, Cunningham grew up in Deer Park, Ohio and graduated from Deer Park High School in 1966. Cunningham was one of four children and has described his father as an abusive alcoholic who left the family when Cunningham was 11. At Deer Park High, Cunningham played on the basketball team and was the top scorer among all Cincinnati area high school basketball players. Cunningham later earned degrees from Xavier University and the University of Toledo College of Law. He is married to his high-school sweetheart, Judge Penelope R. Cunningham of the Ohio Court of Appeals. They have one son and two grandchildren.